A Hart Scorned
by teachinEnglish
Summary: Jonathan has a new secretary while Deanne is on maternity leave. Will this woman be a threat to the Hart's marriage?


Jonathan entered his outer office on Monday morning and stopped to greet his new temporary secretary. Meredith Jones sat at what was usually Deanne's desk, but since Deanne was out on maternity leave for the next eight weeks, Jonathan had a temp from Hart Industries' internal pool.

"Good morning, Meredith. I appreciate you covering for Deanne over the next couple of months. Do you have everything you need?"

Meredith smiled up at Jonathan. "Good morning, Mr. Hart. I think I'm set. Just let me know what you want me to get started on."

He smiled a smile that made most women go weak in the knees.

"I have some items for you, which I'll bring out shortly. Right now, Deanne has decided to only take the minimum eight weeks, but she has a twelve-week option, and I'm sure she'll take it once she gets home with the baby. Would you be able to cover those other four weeks if she does decide to take them?"

Meredith nodded. "Sure. Just let me know."

"I will. Thanks." With that, he headed into his office and closed his door.

Around 1:00 pm, Jonathan's wife waltzed in. He was on the phone, so he motioned Jennifer over. She leaned down to kiss him on the cheek, but he wrapped his arm around her and settled her on his lap. Jonathan finished his phone call and brushed his lips over his wife's.

"You are the best thing I've seen all day."

Jennifer gave him another kiss. "Smooth talker."

"Did you meet Meredith?"

Jennifer shook her head. "Your temp? No."

"She must still be at lunch."

"Hmm, well, I'll meet her at some point. Are you ready for lunch?"

The look he gave her made her smile and shake her head before he even spoke. "Maybe we should have lunch at home today."

"No, no, no. I have a 2:30 meeting for the upcoming fundraiser, and you told me this morning that you have afternoon meetings." His fingers were slowly sliding up under her skirt. "Jonathan."

She laughed as she kissed him and disentangled herself from his embrace. He stood with her and pulled her to him for one last smoldering kiss. Neither heard the knock on his office door.

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

Jonathan and Jennifer smiled against each other's lips as they parted. Jonathan looked at his new secretary, who stood in the doorway, unsure of what to do.

"Meredith, this is my wife, Jennifer. Jennifer, this is Meredith Jones, the secretary filling in for Deanne."

Jennifer walked over to shake the embarrassed woman's hand. "It's nice to meet you."

Jonathan came up and put an arm around his wife. "I'm sorry about that. I tend to lose my head around this gorgeous woman." He kissed Jennifer's temple. "Deanne has gotten used to it over the years."

Meredith tried to laugh it off. "I'll make sure to knock a little louder next time. I just wanted to let you know I was back from lunch."

"And we are just heading out to lunch. I put some files on your desk with instructions. I'll be back in about an hour, and then I have that meeting with the owners of Van Horn's this afternoon."

"I'll make sure everything is set."

He nodded and headed toward the elevator with Jennifer. Neither saw the longing look or sly smile Meredith gave Jonathan on their way out.

...

Jonathan beat Jennifer home that evening, so he changed, poured himself a Scotch, and helped Max with dinner. When he heard the front door open, he poured his wife a glass of wine and met her in the living room. Before she took the glass out of his hand, she framed his face with her hands and kissed him thoroughly. Jonathan promptly turned around and headed back toward the kitchen.

"Darling, where are you going with my wine?"

"I figured if I came back out of the kitchen, you would give me another kiss like that."

She laughed as she sauntered up to him and took her glass out of his hand. "I'll save the next one for bed tonight."

Jonathan yelled over his shoulder. "Max, we're headed up to bed."

Jennifer couldn't even drink her wine, she was laughing so hard.

The swinging door opened and Max stood there with a confused look on his face. "Mr. H., you just told me to set the table on the patio."

Jonathan was staring at his wife, that mischievous grin on his face. "I did, didn't I? All right, dinner first." He held his elbow out for her, and Jennifer threaded her arm though his.

Max just shook his head and mumbled under his breath. "Those two are nuts."

Throughout dinner Jennifer and Jonathan filled each other in on their respective meetings.

"How did the fundraising meeting go?"

"Pretty well. The meeting went long, but I feel like we accomplished a lot." Jennifer studied Jonathan as she took a drink. "Darling, you don't look like your meeting went quite as well."

He looked up at her. "I'm not exactly sure how to feel about it. It's a project I'm interested in, but I'm not sure it'll work the way the Van Horns want it to."

"What do you mean?"

"Their department store isn't doing as well as it needs to in order stay competitive against the new malls that are going up. People these days want to do all their shopping in one place. The problem is that this store has been a part of the Van Horn history since 1886. They started out as a catalog business, much like Sears Roebuck, and they're in a historic building in downtown Manhattan. They're trying to get it on the registry, but the hoops they have to jump through are taking a long time. While they'd really like to celebrate their centennial next year, I don't know if they'll make it that long."

"What are their options?"

Jonathan loved that his wife took an interest in what he did. More often than not, she was the sounding board he needed when faced with a dilemma like this.

"There are three at this point. One – they sell the store outright and hope to break even, but that could mean, until the building is registered as historic, it could get torn down, which they don't want. Two – they try to find a new investor to help keep them afloat while they find a way to make themselves current, or three – they declare bankruptcy and lose everything they've worked a century to build."

"And they came to you, hoping you'd invest?"

He nodded. "Um-hm."

Max came out to clear plates and offer an after dinner drink.

"Thanks, Max. Darling, do you want a brandy in the living room?"

"That sounds great. Max, dinner was delicious." Jennifer grabbed her own plate on the way to kitchen, and Jonathan followed suit.

The couple sat, sipping their drinks, and Jennifer worked the conversation back to Jonathan's deal. She was sitting with her knees tucked up against her chest, and Jonathan was rubbing the back of her calf with his hand up the inside of her slacks.

"What if you combined options one and two?"

Jonathan looked at Jennifer, intrigued. "What do you mean? They can't sell and have an investor."

"No, but they can have an investor and lease part of the building, giving themselves a guaranteed income stream while waiting for all the red tape to be dealt with." She thought back for a minute. "We went to Van Horn's the last time we were in New York, right?"

Jonathan nodded.

"Then the building I'm thinking of has several floors. The first four house the store and the other four or five must be offices and storage. What if they rearrange the space? Put in a restaurant or a coffee shop? Maybe a book store? They could downsize the store itself, turn the upper floors into upscale apartments, and keep everything they've worked for, but make it fit the wants of today. If they got to work on it right away, they might be able to re-open in time to celebrate 100 years."

Jonathan kissed his wife enthusiastically before resting his chin on her knees. It was exactly where his thoughts were headed when he spoke with the Van Horns earlier. "You are brilliant, you know that?"

She gave him a playful grin. "I know."

He smiled at her, and that familiar gleam stole into his eyes. "What do you say we go to bed now?"

She just shook her head and laughed slightly. "Jonathan, you have a one-track mind."

He rubbed her cheek. "As long as you're always waiting for me at the finish line, I do. Besides, I've been thinking about you all day."

He stood up and held out his hand to her. They walked upstairs arm in arm.

...

Jonathan continued to hammer out the deal with Van Horn, and he had a couple of nights where he got home later than he wanted to. Tonight was going to be another one of those nights. He was just packing things up when Meredith knocked on his office door. She'd been invaluable in Deanne's absence and fit into his office seamlessly. Yesterday she'd even brought him a sandwich when he worked through his lunch hour.

"I thought you left an hour ago."

"No, I wanted to stay and finish that proposal you put on my desk so you'd have it in the morning."

Jonathan smiled at her. "Thank you. That wasn't necessary, but I appreciate it."

He grabbed his coat off the coat rack and turned to walk out with her when she collapsed. He caught her and slid to the floor with her.

"Meredith?" She came to pretty quickly but was groggy. "Hey. Hey. You're all right. Let me get you some water."

She tried to sit up but was too dizzy. Jonathan held the water for her. "Here. Take a sip. Go slow."

"I'm so embarrassed." She drank. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. Does this happen often?"

"No," she shook her head and took another sip of her water. "I just was busy and forgot to eat lunch today. It was silly of me."

Jonathan helped her to her feet and sat her in one of the chairs in front of his desk. He grabbed an individual bag of pretzels from his bar and opened them for her. "Here, eat these. They'll tide you over until you get home." He noticed her hands were shaking as she took one out of the bag. "Would you like a ride home, or maybe you should go to the hospital?"

She was quick to shake her head. "No. Really. I'll be fine." She drank the water and finished the pretzels, while Jonathan sat and talked with her. When she stood to leave, he thought she looked steadier on her feet. He certainly wasn't prepared for what happened next. "Mr. Hart, I can't thank you enough." She threw her arms around him and pressed her lips to his cheek.

"Darling, since you had to stay so late…" Jennifer took in the scene in front of her. Her voice lost a bit of its exuberance. "Hello, Meredith."

Jonathan picked his coat up again and held onto Meredith's elbow. "Darling, I was just about to walk Meredith down to her car. She isn't feeling well." His look told his wife that he'd explain everything shortly. "Walk with us?"

"Sure," Jennifer nodded. "I had Max drop me off, so I need a ride home anyway."

One the way to Willow Pond Lane, Jonathan explained Meredith's fainting spell and what his wife walked in on. "I wasn't expecting a hug, and I certainly didn't expect her to kiss me."

Jennifer smiled at the naiveté of her husband. "Darling, your secretary has a crush on you."

Jonathan gave Jennifer a sideways glance. "Be serious."

"I am. I've been in and out of the office enough to see the looks she gives you when we leave together. Jonathan, she's not the first woman I've seen fall for you; she's just the first one I've seen act on it in front of me." She watched the smile form on his face.

"Jealous?"

"Not on your life."

"Not even a little?" His smile broadened.

"Do I have a reason to be?"

Jonathan picked up Jennifer's hand and kissed her fingers. "Not on your life."

...

The phone ringing at 2:00 am a few nights later woke Jennifer from a sound sleep. Why the phone was on Jonathan's side of the bed when he never answered it was beyond her, especially at this time of the morning.

"Darling? Jonathan? Answer the phone."

Her husband wrapped one arm around her and picked up the phone with the other. "Hello?... Um, no… Just tell Kurt who you are…. He can let you up….It's no problem….Um-hm….No, it's really not a problem….See you in the morning. Um-hm. Goodnight." It took Jonathan two tries to get the phone back on the hook.

"Who was that?"

"Meredith."

Jennifer looked down at her husband in the dark. "What did she want?"

"Apparently she was on a date and left her keys in her desk. She couldn't get into her apartment."

"So she called you?"

"To make sure she could get into the building to get her keys."

Jennifer's radar let out a screech, and she shook her head. "Jonathan, she's been an employee at Hart Industries for a few years. She didn't call you to ask if she could get into the building."

"Yes, she did. That's what she asked."

Jennifer shook her head. "No, that's what she wanted you to think."

"Jennifer, it's two a.m.. What am I missing?"

She hated that his voice sounded testy, but she also needed him to understand that this phone call took Meredith's harmless crush to a different level. "Meredith wanted to make you jealous that she was on a date, and she wanted you to think about her when you went back to sleep."

"That's ridiculous."

"Really? Who's the last person you talk to when you're traveling?"

"You."

"Why?"

Jonathan smiled slowly. "So you dream about me."

"Bingo."

Throughout the whole conversation, Jonathan's hand rubbed up and down his wife's back.

"Darling, you're making more out of this than there is. Besides, I'm not thinking about anyone but you." He rolled over, pinning his wife under him, while his hands caressed and his mouth seduced.

...

Over the next couple of weeks, Jonathan ran into brick wall after brick wall with the Van Horn deal. Luther Van Horn was as frustrated as the man he was working with.

"I don't get it, Jonathan. About the time I think I've made some headway, something else falls apart. If we can't finalize this by the end of the month, we've wasted a lot of time and money, and I'll still lose what my family built."

"We're not quite to panic mode yet, Luther, but I'm beginning to see a pattern. Has anyone approached you about buying your building?"

Luther thought back. "A while ago, when I first put out feelers, a representative from someplace…" Luther scratched his head while he thought. "…it's not coming to me right now. Anyway, he approached me. Wanted to tear down the existing building and put up a high-rise. I turned him down flat."

"When did the typical red tape of getting the building on the registry turn into a nightmare?"

"Maybe a couple months later." Luther looked at Jonathan. "You're thinking the two are connected."

"I am, yes." Jonathan nodded. "Whoever wanted to put up that high-rise can't if your building makes it onto the historical registry."

"So, what do we do now?"

"It would be good if you could remember who came to you to buy, and I'll make some phone calls. See what kind of red tape I can help you cut through."

While Jonathan was busy trying to cut through that red tape, Jennifer was busy with her committee as they compared venues, menus, bands, and themes. They were holding this meeting at her house and were in the middle of what was turning into a heated discussion about the hors d'oeuvres when Max let Jennifer know she had a phone call. She excused herself, silently thanking whoever it was on the phone for saving her.

"Hello?"

She smiled as she heard her husband's voice.

"Hello, Darling. I'm sorry to pull you away from your meeting."

"Believe me; you couldn't have called at a better time."

"It's going that well, huh?"

"If you call adults arguing over crab puffs and caviar going well, then yes."

His laugh completely restored her mood. "I just wanted to let you know that I won't be late tonight."

"That's the best news I've heard all day."

"I'll see you in an hour. Maybe we should just order a pizza and send Max to the movies tonight."

"That sounds like a wonderful plan. I love you."

"I love you too, Darling."

Jennifer hung up and went back to referee.

...

Jonathan called Meredith into his office to go through some of the Van Horn information.

"If you could clean this up a bit for me by the time I meet with Mr. Van Horn tomorrow that would be terrific."

Meredith smiled at her boss. "It's not a problem."

Jonathan came around his desk as she stood. "Meredith, I just want to tell you what a great job you're doing. Deanne is a wonder, and I was worried about how things would go while she's gone, but there hasn't been a hitch."

Meredith beamed at him. "Thanks, Mr. Hart." As she turned to walk out, she lost her balance, causing her to fall into Jonathan. He grabbed her to steady her and ended up with her in his arms. She took advantage of the situation, which she created, and kissed him. Meredith caught him off guard, but he gently pushed her away and stepped back.

"Meredith, that can't…"

"Mr. Hart, I'm sorry, I…" Since they both started to speak, Jonathan gestured for her to go first. He was thankful she looked a little embarrassed. "I started to say I'm sorry, but I'm not totally."

Jonathan put his hands up. "Meredith, I'm a happily married man, and if this is going to be a problem, I'll ask for you to be reassigned."

She studied him for a minute and decided to see how far she could push things. She walked up to him and toyed with his collar. Jonathan backed up but ended up against his desk.

"Just because you're married, Jonathan doesn't mean we can't have a little after-hours fun."

Jonathan removed Meredith's hands from his shirt and moved sideways, away from her.

"Yes, it does. Because I love my wife." He looked at his secretary pointedly. "I'll ask for a replacement in the morning."

Meredith backed off. "All right, point taken. You don't have to reassign me. I won't try this again." At his stare, she held her hands up in surrender. "I promise. I like working for you, Mr. Hart. I'll keep it professional from here on out. Please don't blame a girl for trying."

"Thank you. I'm heading home for the night."

She went back to her desk, and Jonathan let out a long breath. "_I'm going to have fun explaining this to Jennifer when I get home. Why is she always right about these things?_"

...

When Meredith got home, she placed a phone call.

"Hello?"

"Progress is slow but steady."

"What does that mean?"

"It means the man completely adores his wife and ignored all my subtle hints, so I've put a couple less than subtle hints in front of him."

"Details, please."

"I fainted on him the other day, and he did the polite thing. He took care of me and walked me to my car. The best part? His wife happened to walk into his office just as I threw my arms around him and kissed him as a thank you."

"Secondly?"

"I pretended to fall into him in the office today and kissed him again. I even offered to give him a little after-work fun."

"Did he take you up on your offer?"

"Don't I wish," she shook her head, "but unfortunately, no. Sadly, Jonathan Hart isn't the cheating type. He turned me down flat when I offered more than a kiss. Not that I'm not going to continue trying. The man is gorgeous after all."

"It puts a rather large wrinkle in my plans if he doesn't sleep with you."

"He doesn't have to sleep with me for me to make it look like he did."

...

When Jonathan got home, he and Jennifer ordered pizza but didn't have to send Max to the movies since he already had a date.

Jonathan glanced at Jennifer. "Max is on a date?"

She nodded at her husband.

"Do we know her?" It sometimes felt like Max tried to pay Jonathan back for his turbulent teenage years.

"Her name is Luanne, and she started working for the Wilkersons about two months ago. Apparently, she goes to the market at the same time every Tuesday, so now Max does his shopping on Tuesday also."

Jonathan gave Jennifer a confused look. She just shrugged. They said it at the same time.

"It's Max."

While they waited for Guido to deliver the pizza, Jonathan told Jennifer about Meredith's advances.

Jennifer crossed her arms and watched Jonathan closely. "Just out of nowhere she tried to kiss you?"

He shrugged. "Yes, I was going through some files with her and thanked her for how well she's keeping up with things. When she turned to leave, she lost her balance and fell into me. That's when she kissed me."

Jennifer looked straight at her husband. She wasn't buying the "lost her balance" story. "What happened after she kissed you?"

"I told her I was a happily married man."

Jennifer just waited him out. "And?"

This was the part he knew would get sticky. "She told me that it didn't matter that I was married." He watched Jennifer's eyes go glacial. "Darling, I turned her down."

Jennifer didn't even crack a smile. "I have no doubt that you did."

Jonathan seemed genuinely confused. "Then why are you so angry?"

"Most of my anger is not directed at you. It's directed at a woman who doesn't seem to want to take no for an answer."

"Most of your anger. Why am I the recipient of any of it?"

The doorbell rang, and Jonathan got up to pay Guido for the pizza, giving Jennifer time to calm herself.

Jonathan placed the box on the bar next to the plates and napkins Jennifer set out. Before she could move away from him, he wrapped his wife in his arms. He'd found through the years that Jennifer's ire was much harder for her to hang on to when she was so close to him.

"Why are you angry with me?"

She smiled slightly at his simplicity when it came to women. Her husband could read people better than anyone she knew, but when it came to understanding his effect on women, he was clueless.

"Darling, I bet that if I walk into your office tomorrow morning Meredith will be sitting at her desk."

He looked truly baffled. "What does that have to do with anything?"

She shook her head. "Jonathan, she made a flagrant pass at you. You don't think that might make working with her a little awkward? You don't think that when I come to see you, I won't feel awkward talking to her?"

Jonathan gave Jennifer a patient look, which infuriated her. "She promised to keep it all strictly business from here on out."

Jennifer nodded, her eyes icing over again. "And you believe her?"

"Shouldn't I?"

"No, you shouldn't. She's been thinking of you and moving toward this point since she took over for Deanne, and most women don't just offer to sleep with a man and move on when they get turned down. She has an agenda, and I need you to be careful."

"Jennifer, you make her sound like Mata Hari."

Jennifer rolled her eyes then locked them with her husband's. "Darling, for as brilliant as you are, you have no idea what effect you have on women. You're gorgeous, charming, sexy, powerful, and kind. Add in those blue eyes and toothy grin of yours, women can't help but fall in love with you. But Meredith is crossing the line." She locked her arms around his neck. "I need you to take me seriously on this, Jonathan. I don't think we have to worry about her like we did Peggy or Robin, as she seems quite sane, but I've got a bad feeling." Her eyes implored him. "Please."

Jonathan ran his thumb over her cheek. "I'll be careful."

"Promise me."

He brought his mouth to hers and kissed her softly. "I promise." He gave her another soft kiss for good measure. "Now let's eat while it's hot."

...

The next day Jonathan worked his way through more red tape and was thoroughly frustrated with the slow progress. By 6:00 pm, most of the building was empty. Meredith stuck her head in the office to see if Jonathan needed anything before she left for the day.

His voice was sharp. "No, thanks. I just need to finish this and get out of here."

She walked over to the bar and poured him a short Scotch and adding a dash of Rohypnol when he wasn't looking. "You look like you could use this." She set the glass on his desk. "Give me something to do. Let me help you get out of here sooner."

Jonathan flashed a tired smile at her. "Thanks." He downed the Scotch and handed her a file. They worked in silence for about fifteen minutes before he rubbed at his eyes.

"Mr. Hart, are you all right?"

He held his head in his hands. "Just got groggy."

Meredith got up and locked his office door before pulling her camera out of her bag. She set it on the desk and focused it toward his desk chair. Jonathan was just about completely under, but she hoped to get him to kiss her before he was unresponsive. She set the timer, hitched up her skirt, and climbed onto his lap.

Using her boss' favorite endearment for his wife, she tried to mimic Jennifer's voice. "Darling, why are you here so late?"

Jonathan tried to focus, but everything was blurry, and the fog was closing in on him. "Jennifer?" He took a deep breath hoping to clear his head, but it was no use. "You smell different."

"Don't worry about that. Just kiss me." Meredith leaned down and put her mouth over Jonathan's. She heard the camera click as he went lax. After that, she went to work setting up other pictures. It was a little difficult working with Jonathan's dead weight, but she thought she'd gotten some fairly provocative photos. Once she was satisfied, although she would have been much more so if he'd been a willing participant, she re-buttoned the man's shirt, washed out the glass, gathered her things, and left Jonathan to wake without remembering she'd been there.

...

By 11:00 pm, Jennifer was frantic. "Max, let's go to the office. I've tried calling everyone I can think of, and no one's seen Jonathan."

"He called to tell you he'd be late, right?"

"Yes, but Max, you know this isn't like him."

She tried the office once more from the mobile. "Still no answer." When they pulled up in front of Hart Industries, Jennifer was stepping out of the car before it even stopped completely. "Stay with the car, Max. I'll get security to let me up and call you if I need you."

"Sure thing, Mrs. H.."

She keyed her way through the front door and stopped at the security desk. Kurt, the night guard looked up in surprise.

"Mrs. Hart, you're here awfully late."

"I'm headed up to my husband's office. He hasn't come home yet."

Kurt nodded. "I'll go up with you."

"Thanks."

They rode the elevator to the executive floor in silence, but after exiting the lift, a crash from Jonathan's office had her sprinting to his office door. Kurt held her back, gun drawn.

"Mr. Hart, are you all right?" Reacting to the silence, Kurt opened the door, and they found Jonathan sprawled on the floor, files everywhere. Jennifer ran to him.

"Darling?" She shook him. "Jonathan? Can you hear me?" He moaned slightly. Kurt moved to the desk to call an ambulance. "Call our mobile number too, Kurt. Max is in the car out front."

"Jennifer?" That was the only thing he said before the paramedics arrived.

Susan Kendall, a good friend and doctor met them in the ER. She kept Jennifer occupied while the doctors ran preliminary tests.

"Jennifer, what happened?"

"I don't know. Jonathan called to tell me he'd be late, and by 11:00, I hadn't heard from him." She wrapped her arms around herself. "Max and I went to the office, and I found him on the floor." She looked at her friend, tears forming in her eyes. "Susan, he's going to be all right, isn't he?"

Susan placed a hand on Jennifer's arm. "I'm going to go check on him. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Jennifer was pacing in the waiting room when Max came in from parking the car.

"How's Mr. H.?"

"Susan's back checking on him now."

"Mrs. H., what happened?"

Jennifer shrugged slightly. "I don't know, Max."

It was 2:30 am before Jonathan was moved to a private room and Susan had a chance to come talk with Jennifer and Max. Jonathan was still out of it but was slowly getting more lucid. Jennifer's patience was completely frayed.

"All right, Susan. What's going on?"

"Jennifer, Jonathan was drugged."

"Drugged? Why? With what?"

"Rohypnol."

"The date rape drug?" Jennifer placed a hand over her forehead as she processed the information. She had to ask. "Susan, was he…"

"No. We ran a kit on him."

"This doesn't make any sense."

The knock on the door startled her. Lt. Croyden came in. "Mrs. Hart. I'm sorry to disturb you at this hour, but we got a call from your husband's security and from the hospital."

"It's all right, Lieutenant. I'm not going to get much sleep tonight anyway."

"What can you tell me about this?"

Jennifer raised her hands helplessly. "Nothing. I found him on the floor in his office, and Susan just told me he was drugged. Until Jonathan wakes up, we all know the same thing."

"I've got officers at your husband's office. It's clean. With the exception of the files on the floor, there's no sign that anyone else was with him tonight."

Susan's beeper went off. "Jennifer, I'll be back to check on Jonathan later."

"Thanks, Susan."

An hour later, Max was home sleeping, per Jennifer's orders, and she was sitting by Jonathan's bed, holding his hand. She was nodding off when Jonathan squeezed her hand and said her name.

"Jennifer?"

"I'm right here, Darling."

He sounded sleepy and disoriented, but he was talking, so she didn't care.

"Where is here?"

"The hospital."

"Why?" He looked so confused, her heart broke a little.

"I found you passed out on your office floor about 11:30 last night."

"What time is it now?"

"About 3:30 am."

"Why was I passed out?"

"Darling, you were drugged."

"Is that why I have a headache?"

She nodded a little. "Probably. Susan said that could happen."

"Why was I drugged? Was anything missing?"

"Lt. Croyden said the only things disturbed in your office were some files on the floor, but he thinks that you might have knocked them off the desk when you fell."

"This doesn't make any sense."

Jennifer gave a little laugh. "That's what I said." She rubbed his knuckles with her thumb. "Jonathan, do you remember anything after you called me to tell me you'd be late?"

He stared at the ceiling for a while. "I worked. I just wanted to finish that one last item so I could get home to you. Meredith came in to tell me she was leaving." He paused, trying to pull something back. Jonathan looked at Jennifer. "Did you come to the office?"

She shook her head. "Not until you were already passed out."

He touched his lips and shrugged slightly. "That's all I can remember."

She rubbed his hand again, but he didn't notice the feral look in her eyes when she thought of Meredith being the last person to see Jonathan before his collapse.

"That's all right, Darling. We'll figure it out."

Jonathan looked at his wife. "What kind of drug was it?"

"Rohypnol."

He shook his head. "Why would someone use that on me?"

"I don't know." Jennifer was silent for a minute. "You remember I did an article on it a couple of years ago?" He nodded. "It's so prevalent in the club scene, but almost exclusively used on women as a date rape drug. It might have been used on you due to the fact that it pretty effectively wipes your memory."

She didn't like not sharing her theory about Meredith with Jonathan, but his mind was still sluggish from the drug. They would have time to talk after he was more coherent, and she wanted to talk to him before she shared her thoughts with Lt. Croyden.

Jonathan had no clue how true his next words would be. "Well, I guess now we wait for the other shoe to drop."

...

Later that morning, Jonathan was discharged and settled on the couch in the living room. He and Jennifer were enjoying a late breakfast, their feet propped on the coffee table.

"Do you want any more juice, Darling?"

"No, thanks."

She set the pitcher down after pouring herself some. "How's your headache now that we're home?"

"Almost gone. Whatever Susan gave me helped a lot."

Jennifer reached over and ran her fingers through her husband's hair. "Good. Any more dizziness?"

Jonathan shook his head. "Uh-uh. I think the Rohypnol is pretty much out of my system." He took her hand and kissed her fingertips. "Thanks for taking care of me."

She leaned in and kissed him gently. "We take care of each other." Now that she was sure he was feeling better, she wanted to broach the subject of Meredith. While Jennifer had no proof, everything pointed to his secretary being the one to drug him.

The doorbell interrupted her.

"I'll get it." Max opened the door and took the manila envelope from the delivery man. "It's for you, Mrs. H.."

"Thanks, Max." She opened the mailer and the tears came instantly as she saw the top picture. It was her husband's face against Meredith's lace covered breast.

"Darling, what is it? What's wrong?"

Jennifer took a deep breath and handed him the envelope. "It's the other shoe."

She watched her husband's features harden to stone then shatter as he looked into his wife's eyes. "Jennifer, I… I can't explain."

She stopped her tears and took Jonathan's hands in her own. When he broke, her own resolve grew.

"Darling, you don't have to. I know this was a set up." He took his thumbs and wiped at her remaining tears. "I just wasn't expecting to see…" She pointed at the envelope.

She hated the disgust she heard in Jonathan's voice. "What if I just don't remember? What if…"

She framed Jonathan's face with her hands, wiped his tears this time, and waited for him to meet her eyes. Her voice was laced with steel. "No. You were set up. Susan ran a kit on you. These are just horrid pictures, not proof of anything except Meredith's machinations." Jennifer took a deep breath and took the photos out of her husband's hands.

"Jennifer, don't. Please."

"If I look at these, I can prove to you that you weren't a willing participant." His eyes pleaded with her; he didn't want her to see him like that with another woman, but she had to prove to him that she believed in his innocence. "Jonathan, if the roles were reversed, would you think that I…"

"No." He shook his head vehemently.

"Why?"

He smiled, even though it was feeble. "Because I know you would never hurt me like that, and I know how much you love me."

"Exactly." She kissed him gently for good measure. Jennifer slid the photos out of the envelope and studied each one carefully. Jonathan watched her face as she painstakingly looked at the photos. He was so thankful for the ferocity of her love for him.

"What do you see?"

"That you weren't aware of anything going on in these pictures."

"They look pretty convincing to me."

Jennifer gave him a sideways glance. "One, you're looking at them as a man who feels like he just hurt his wife…"

Jonathan took her chin with his finger and locked his eyes on hers. "I am a man who just hurt my wife."

The anguish Jennifer saw in his eyes steeled her determination.

"No, not on purpose." She shook her head fervently. "I'll admit to a moment of shock at the first sight of these." She waved the envelope slightly as she cupped his face with her free hand. "But Darling, you were the one who was used and hurt. We're going to find out why." She smiled softly at him. "Would you like to know what the second thing I see is?"

His voice was petulant. "I wish you didn't want to look at them at all."

This time she took his chin and met his eyes. "Jonathan, you don't see yourself when you make love to me." She ran her thumb over his cheek and watched his eyes darken. She smiled at the effect she had on him with the slightest touch. "You are the most amazingly passionate lover." Jennifer moved the pictures back into view. "Look at your face in this picture, Darling. There isn't any excitement. You don't have any expression at all. Most of these photos don't even show your face." She emphasized the next part and made sure Jonathan took it in. "And none of the photos show anything below the waist. The only thing exposed is your chest." Jennifer searched through them again. "This one of her kissing your chest, all we see is her and your chest. Why did she crop off your head? It leads me to believe that you were already completely unconscious when the photos were taken, and she couldn't make them look like a real affair." Something else caught her eye, and she went back through every picture.

"Now what?"

She smiled brilliantly. "Either there was a third party in your office, or she took these herself with a timer."

"How can you tell?"

"The angle. You don't have a window back here…" She gestured to a point off the photo. "…behind your chair. That's where the sitting area is. And the photos are too clear. If they were from a telephoto lens in another building, they'd be much grainier. The question is, what is Meredith's game? I know these pictures aren't real, but other people don't know you like I do."

Jonathan took the envelope and put it on the coffee table. "I don't care right now." He wrapped Jennifer up in his arms and held on. Finally, he took a deep breath, and kissed her temple. "I have no words to tell you how much I love you."

She placed a light kiss on his exposed chest. "You don't need words."

They fell asleep on the couch with their arms around each other and their legs intertwined.

"Hey, Mr. & Mrs. H., I'm going to…" Max stopped short when he saw them sleeping. He felt awful when they both opened their eyes. "I'm so sorry. I should learn to look first and talk second."

Jennifer and Jonathan both smiled.

"It's all right, Max. Mr. H. and I didn't get a whole lot of sleep last night."

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to run to the dry cleaners and do a few more errands. Is there anything special you want me to pick up?"

Jennifer looked at Jonathan. "No, Max. Thanks though."

"All right, I'll be back in a couple of hours."

After they heard the back door close, Jonathan looked at Jennifer. "We should probably call Lt. Croyden about those pictures."

"We should, and we will, after we finish our nap." She stood and offered Jonathan her hand. When he was standing in front of her, she wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him gently. She saw hesitation in his eyes.

"Jennifer, I…"

She placed her finger on his lips.

"Darling, I love you, and I need you. We need to be with each other." She watched as the hesitation slowly disappeared and was replaced by pure love and admiration.

Jonathan gave her several soft kisses before moving toward her ear. "You are the most amazing woman." His mouth moved over that one little spot that always made her breath hitch. "I love you, too."

When he brought his eyes back to hers, he saw her challenge.

"Prove it."

His smile widened, and Jennifer was happy to see most of Jonathan's usual sparkle back in his eyes.

"With pleasure."

He kissed his wife with abandon before leading her upstairs for the rest of the afternoon.

...

While Jonathan went through things with Croyden, Jennifer made some phone calls to her contacts at the local papers. Unfortunately, Alan, an investigative journalist at the _LA Times_ who she worked with on occasion, found out that photos of Jonathan had been sold to one of the local gossip magazines. They were slated to be published as the next morning's biggest scandal.

"Damn."

Jonathan looked over at his wife. "Are you all right, Darling?"

She looked up, not realizing she'd said anything out loud. "I'm sorry. Are you going to be all right if I go out for a bit?"

Jonathan gave her a puzzled look. "Where are you going at this time of night?"

Jennifer didn't want Jonathan to be blindsided, but she also didn't want to say anything yet. "I just need to try to fix something. I promise I'll tell you when I get home."

Croyden chimed in. "Jennifer, I would advise you to not go after Ms. Jones."

Jennifer gave the lieutenant a brilliant smile. "I wouldn't think of it. I don't look good in prison orange."

She walked over to Jonathan, gave him a quick kiss and promised to be back in less than two hours. Jonathan stared after her, wondering what she was up to.

...

Jennifer parked the car in the surprisingly full lot of the National Enquirer's LA office. "_I guess gossip really does never sleep._" She made her way to the editor's office and walked in unannounced. Jerry Irving, according to his name plate, was on the phone.

"Hey, Bill, I'll call you back." He hung up and started to light into Jennifer. "Sweetheart, you can't just come barging into my office. You need an appointment."

Jennifer smiled.

"How about a lawsuit for defamation, libel, and slander? Will those things get me an appointment?"

"What are you talking about? We only print the truth here."

Jennifer's laugh was humorless. "Mr. Irving, right now you are in possession of some photos that I am going to tell you not to print. In fact, I'm going to insist that you give them to me."

"Which photos are you talking about? I pay good money for things like that, and I don't just give them away because some broad tells me to." He looked Jennifer up and down. "You tryin' to scoop me on a story or something?"

"I want the photos of Jonathan Hart."

Jerry snapped his fingers. "That's why you look familiar. You're his old lady."

Jennifer's look stopped him before he dug an even deeper hole. "Mr. Irving, if you print those pictures and whatever lies you plan to write with them, this rag will cease to exist." Jerry didn't look phased.

"I got protection against people like you. You and your husband are public figures. That means I can print whatever I want because Enquiring minds want to know." He chuckled at his own joke.

Jennifer was not amused. "Mr. Irving, you absolutely can print whatever you want. However, I can and will prove malice, which negates the 'print whatever you want' idea."

Even though he was trying to bluster his way through this conversation, Jennifer's calm, quiet demeanor was unnerving him. He'd had plenty of conversations with husbands and wives who got busted for cheating over the years, but this one was different.

"Look, I get my info from reputable sources, and don't ask for my source. I won't give it to you."

"I wouldn't dream of it, especially since I already know your source, and she is absolutely not reputable." Jennifer turned on her heel, but before she got to the door, she looked back. "This is your last chance to do the right thing before you hear from my lawyers in the morning, Mr. Irving. As an investigative journalist who's won a few awards, I have contacts in high places. Not only will you speak to my lawyers, but you'll find some extremely unflattering press about your publication in the news tomorrow."

Jerry's vocal volume rose considerably. "Look, you don't think I get threats from people like you all the time? That's why they have laws to protect journalists like me. All you fancy rich people who think you can get away with whatever you want and then throw money at it to make it go away need to be brought down a peg every now and again. I'm sorry that your husband did the down and dirty with some other dame, but that doesn't give you the right to come in here and threaten me."

Jennifer looked down for a moment to collect herself before she tried to appeal to the man one last time. She was cool, which intimidated him further. "Mr. Irving, as I stated earlier, the photos and the story you plan to put with them are utter lies. The pictures, which you assume make my husband guilty of adultery, were taken while he was drugged. I have medical records and a police report to verify my story. What do you have to verify your source?"

He stammered, trying to come up with something.

Jennifer continued. "You have nothing. Your source is the very same woman who drugged my husband. You obviously know who Jonathan Hart is. Do you honestly think he would have allowed a third party in the room while he had sex with someone? You have the pictures. You can see how clear they are. They weren't taken by some sleazy P. I. from another building. If you really want to try and take on my husband, along with our very well paid lawyers, be my guest. But you won't win. Do you really want to go that route?"

Jerry caved, and she saw it in his eyes. He put up both hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. Give me a minute."

He left the room, and Jennifer stood exactly where she was until he returned. He handed her the large envelope, which she opened. She leafed through the photos but noticed one was missing.

"They're not all here."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I received the same delivery this morning at my house. There is a picture missing, and I want them all."

Jerry left the room grumbling, but this time Jennifer followed him to the press room. He retrieved the last picture and handed it to her grudgingly. She glanced down at the copywriter's desk and picked up his working story as well, depositing it in the envelope with the photo.

"Mr. Irving, the conversation we had in your office never happened." She waggled the envelope in front of his face. "These photos no longer exist." She moved toward the exit. "I would say it's been a pleasure, but there is nothing pleasant about you." On that final statement, Jennifer headed for her car and home.

...

When she walked through the front door, Jonathan was just heading upstairs.

"Darling, where have you been? It's late."

He noticed the envelope in her hands as she wrapped her arms around him. "I made an appointment with a sleazy editor. Why don't we go to bed, and I'll tell you all about it." Jennifer left the envelope on the table by the front door and held Jonathan's hand as they went up for the night. While they changed and went through their night time routine, she asked about his meeting with Lt. Croyden. "Did he have any suggestions for how to deal with the Meredith situation?"

"Yes, but I didn't like any of them."

Jennifer peeked around the corner at her husband. "Let me guess, all of his suggestions involved you staying out of it and letting the police handle it?"

She got a smile out of him. "You're so smart."

He threw the top of his pajamas at her. Jonathan was already in bed when she re-entered the room, rubbing lotion into her hands. She snuggled next to him and trailed her nails lightly over his chest.

"So, what is your plan?"

"Darling, we're in bed together. What do you think my plan is?"

He would never tire of her laugh.

"Jonathan. How do you plan to deal with Meredith?" She leaned in close to his ear. "After you tell me that, you can deal with me however you'd like."

Jonathan had her on her back before she could blink and kissed her senseless while his hands roamed her body. He finally broke the kiss and told her his thoughts before dealing with his wife in his favorite way.

...

Over coffee the next morning, Jennifer was finally able to tell Jonathan about her adventure with Jerry Irving. Her plan had been to tell her husband about that meeting last night, but he distracted her, as he often did.

"I think I would have paid for a front row ticket to watch that."

"Well, he deserved it. He was so smug, as though he knew everything just because he had pictures."

They found nothing in the papers regarding the photos, so they chose to go ahead with Jonathan's plan to see what Meredith's end game was. His plan was to do nothing and see how long it took her to break. She obviously wanted attention from him, so if he didn't give it to her, she was bound to tip her hand. At least Jonathan hoped so.

He breezed into the office that morning, smile on his face. "Good morning, Meredith."

He could tell he caught her off guard. She almost stammered. "Good morning, Mr. Hart. Are you feeling better this morning?"

He smiled and nodded at her. "Much. Thank you."

He really wished he had a peep hole in his door so he could watch her stew at her desk. Since he didn't, he went to his desk and set the phone so any incoming or outgoing calls on her line would be recorded. If he got lucky, she might call someone to rant about her plan falling apart.

Meredith did just that. She was a little miffed that there were no pictures anywhere in any gossip rag when she looked this morning, and now Jonathan walked in like nothing happened. "_Did they not get the photos by messenger yesterday? What in the hell is going on?_"

She picked up the phone and dialed.

He picked up on the first ring. "I hope you have good news for me."

"Did you see anything in the papers this morning?"

"No."

"Neither did I. And he breezed in here like nothing happened. I sent pictures by messenger to his wife yesterday."

"I can't imagine Jennifer Hart putting up with a cheating husband."

"So now, I'm wondering if they didn't get the photos. It's not like I can ask. I'm supposed to be surprised by them, and I'm supposed to act surprised and hurt that he doesn't remember our wonderful time together."

"Was he aware of any of it?"

"No. Maybe one kiss, but other than that, he was completely passed out. The pictures make it look like something happened, but you and I know that it didn't."

"I need him involved in a scandal so I can force Van Horn to sell to me. If Hart is worried about saving his marriage and the reputation of his company, then he won't have time to save that department store."

Jonathan's eyes went feral as he listened. He called Lt. Croyden before coming in to work to talk through his plan, and while the conversation wouldn't hold up in a court of law, it at least gave them ammunition and a motive. He phoned Jennifer and Luther Van Horn and asked them to meet him at the police station.

...

Jonathan and Jennifer stopped back by the office before heading home for the night. Since Max had driven Jennifer to the police station, he took the station wagon back to the house, and Jennifer rode with Jonathan. He had a couple of files he wanted to go through before finalizing everything with Luther the next day. Lt. Croyden was optimistic that this whole mess with Meredith would be over by then, and Jonathan was anxious to finally close this deal.

The Harts looked up in surprise when the office door flew open. Meredith was standing there pointing a gun at the couple.

Jonathan instinctively moved in front of his wife. "Meredith? What's all this about?"

"What happened to the pictures, Jonathan?" She nodded her head toward Jennifer. "Or maybe I should ask you, Jennifer."

Jonathan spoke up first. "What pictures?"

"Don't play dumb, Jonathan. It doesn't become you."

Jonathan nodded. "We saw them."

Meredith threw a half smile on her face. "Pretty hot, weren't they?"

Jennifer shook her head. "Pretty sick is more like it."

"Well, I tried to get Jonathan to play with me, but he's just too into you, Jennifer."

Jonathan attempted to focus Meredith back onto him. "Why did you come after me like that?"

Meredith actually did smile this time. "Have you looked in a mirror? You're a stud. It would have been more fun if you'd cooperated, but you didn't. And because you didn't, the guy I was working with isn't going to pay me. In fact, he wants me dead, so you need to get me out of the country."

"Who are you working for and why? What's the end game?"

"Oh, Jonathan. I can't tell you that."

"Sure you can. If he goes to jail, you don't have to leave the country."

"No, it won't quite work that way." She cocked her head to one side and pondered. "I think some place like Rio is nice this time of year."

Again, the office door flew open, but because Meredith was standing so close, the door threw her to the ground, and Jonathan was able to grab the gun.

Stanley Friesen stood there, confusion written all over his face.

"Oh my gosh. Meredith, I'm so sorry." Then Stanley saw the gun, but the Harts weren't rushing to help the woman on the floor. "Did I interrupt something, Mr. Hart?"

Both Jonathan and Jennifer answered at the same time. "Yes."

"Thank you, Stanley." Jennifer was already dialing the police.

Jonathan looked at his employee. "Stanley, did you need something?"

He was still confused and staring at Meredith. "What? Oh, no, sir, Mr. Hart. I just saw your light on and wondered if there was anything I could do to help you before I left for the night."

Jonathan smiled a huge smile at the man and nodded once. "You helped me exactly how I needed you to, so thank you." As Stanley continued to stand and stare, Jonathan prompted him. "You can head home now, Stanley."

"Oh, ok. I'll see you tomorrow, Mr. Hart." He stammered out an, "I'm sorry again, Meredith," before he headed down the hall to the elevator.

During the conversation, Meredith clawed her way into a chair, while Jonathan kept the gun trained on her.

"You might as well tell me what I want to know now. Lt. Croyden will be here soon, and you'll have to tell him anyway."

Meredith knew when she was beat. She told Jonathan and Jennifer all about Larry Stevens, the man who wanted to buy Van Horns and put up a high-rise. If he could find a way to keep Jonathan busy, Luther Van Horn would have to sell to Stevens or lose the Van Horn family fortune. Stevens found her in the temp pool shortly after she was assigned to Deanne's maternity leave, and sold her on the idea of sleeping with Jonathan Hart for the right price.

"Once I got used to the money, it didn't really matter how I got it, and the idea of sleeping with you was kind of exciting."

Jennifer had heard enough. "It didn't matter how you got it?" She came around the desk and stood with her arms crossed right in front of Meredith. "You drugged my husband. You undressed him and humiliated him. You made him think he'd broken our marriage vows." Jennifer just shook her head and fisted her hands when all Meredith did was shrug. "I guess that I can be satisfied that you'll go to jail for what you did."

Meredith shrugged again. "I won't get much time. I didn't hurt anyone." She gave Jonathan a provocative look. "And it could have been a lot more fun."

Jennifer put her hands on the arms of the chair Meredith was sitting in and invaded the other woman's space. "I will use every bit of influence at my disposal to make sure that you are convicted of false imprisonment, sexual assault, assault with a deadly weapon, and any number of other things that the police can come up with. What you did was heinous, and you will pay for it." Jennifer's words worked as well as a slap at removing the smugness from Meredith's face. Even better, Jennifer thought she saw some fear in the other woman's eyes.

As Croyden hauled Meredith away in handcuffs, Jonathan wrapped his arms around Jennifer from behind. He placed a soft kiss by her ear. "You were a little scary just a minute ago."

Jennifer smiled as she turned into her husband's embrace. "She made me a little angry a minute ago."

Jonathan kissed Jennifer gently. "Remind me not to get on your bad side."

His wife's smile turned mischievous. "Why don't we go home so you can get on my good side?"

He laughed and kissed her soundly. "Mrs. Hart, you have the best ideas."

Jonathan and Jennifer were sitting on the terrace enjoying a glass of wine when Max came out of the kitchen.

"Do you twos need anything else before I go?"

Jonathan snapped his fingers. "That's right, you've got the big game tonight, don't you?"

"Yeah. Not sure I'll be back by breakfast."

Jennifer just shook her head. "That's all right, Max. I'm sure we can manage."

Jonathan gave Max a quick nod. "You need a silent partner?"

"Sure." Max took the money and folded it into his money clip. "Thanks, Mr. H.. I'll see you twos some time."

The Harts just shook their heads at each other and laughed. Jonathan took Jennifer's hand and pulled her up to dance with him in the moonlight.

She smiled up at him, thankful for her husband's sense of romance.

"Darling, there's no music."

Jonathan kissed her softly. "There's always music when you're in my arms."

"Aww." Even after all their years together, he found new ways to melt her heart.

"Jennifer, I owe you an apology."

She pulled back just a bit so she could look into his eyes. "For what?"

"For not taking what you said about Meredith more seriously."

"It's over now. You don't need-"

"I do need to. You saw what was going on from the beginning, and I downplayed it. For a man who makes a living reading people and basing multi-million dollar business deals on those judgments, I did a lousy job with Meredith. Worse yet? I didn't pay attention to my very brilliant wife."

Jennifer brought her lips to his for a gentle kiss. "Apology accepted." She gave him another kiss. "I love you."

Jonathan ran his thumb over her cheek. "You are the woman I trust most in the world. I won't forget that again."

His wife smiled slightly. "Hopefully, there won't be an again."

Now that the seriousness of his apology was over, she recognized the gleam in his eye.

"Darling, I remember you saying something earlier about getting on your good side."

Jennifer laughed. "I did say something like that, didn't I?"

"Just how do you propose I do that?"

She pulled him close for a passionate kiss then turned on her heel and headed toward the kitchen door. As she opened it, she looked over her shoulder and crooked a finger at her husband.

"Come with me and find out."


End file.
